Stencil Plates

The Civil War was fought before armies issued identification tags to their soldiers. It fell to the will of the men in the ranks to determine how they would mark their uniforms and equipment so someone could tell who they were should they be killed and their bodies left on the battlefield.

One of the many privately purchased forms of identification was a small brass plate with a name and regiment stamped into it. Many examples survive and others have been excavated at locations of Civil War camp sites.

The stencils weren't limited to only soldiers. Men and women back home had stencils cut by large firms and itinerant stencil cutters to mark everything from quilts and books and other personal items.

What's Included In Our Reproduction Stencil Plate Package.

Our reproduction stencil plate package is based on a kit produced during the Civil War by M.J. Metcalf & Son of Boston, Massachusetts. It includes:

One 2.75" x 1.5" brass and zinc stencil with your name and option company and regimental designation stamped using original letter dies.

One 1/2 dram glass cork-top vial of black ink

One 3/8 tin and horsehair bristle stencil brush

An instruction sheet

A handsome sky-blue cardboard paper box

There Are Two Text Options Available for the Stencil Plates.

*Unless specifically requested, all stencils will be cut in mixed case, where the first letter of each word is capitalized, and the remainder of the word is in lower case.*

OPTION ONE: A BRASS STENCIL PLATE WITH ONE LINE OF TEXTUp to 15 Characters

The most common stencil cut for men and women to mark their personal items. People with long names typically abbreviated first and middle names, or used initials -i.e. "G. Washington" or "M. Wollstonecraft".

OPTION TWO: A BRASS STENCIL PLATE WITH TWO LINES OF TEXTUp to 15 Characters Per Line

The soldier's stencil. The first line is the name, typically without rank, and the second line indicated Company, Regiment, and, on occasion, Branch. Some surviving stencils mark the second line as:

One 2.875" x 1.5" brass and zinc stencil with two lines of up to 15 characters per line, stamped using original letter dies, with a 1/2 dram glass cork-top vial of black ink, one 3/8 tin and horsehair bristle stencil brush, instruction sheet, and handsome sky-blue cardboard paper box.

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